Everything You Need To Know About This Week in Food

Want to seem like you know what you’re talking about while discussing current events at the dinner table this week? Read through our essential guide to the week’s earth-shattering food news. Find out which Greek yogurt company just got kicked out of Whole Foods, what steakhouse is in hot water, and why you just may be eating horse meat sometime in the near future.

Kyle Connaughton Sues Chipotle...for Stealing David Chang's Ideas

What happened: Fat Duck vet Connaughton was hired by Chipotle in 2011 to develop ShopHouse, the company's Asian concept with two locations in DC. According to Connaughton, CEO Steve Ells admitted to bringing in ideas from a failed 2008 collaboration with Momofuku's David Chang on a casual ramen restaurant, then fired Connaughton for objecting.
Who cares: Momofuku has reiterated that it's not involved with the lawsuit and presumably doesn't plan to sue Chipotle, but the idea of everyone's favorite ethically minded fast casual chain ripping off a successful but still much less well-established operation makes onlookers very, very uncomfortable.
Further reading:Eater NY

Hey, Bartender Premieres at Village East Cinemas

What happened: Douglas Tirola's comprehensive look at what it takes to be a barkeep made its debute at Village East Cinemas, the only theater where it'll be screening for the next few weeks.
Who cares: Fans of cocktail culture both old and new. Tirola has interviews with everyone from "The Vest" of Rao's to nightlife proprietress Amy Sacco to PDT high priest Jim Meehan. Also, Hey, Bartender kicks off a whole slew of food and drink films this summer.
Further reading: Grub Street

Pete Wells Awards Three Stars to Carbone

What happened: New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells wrote a glowing review of Carbone, the recently opened Greenwich Village restaurant from Rich Torrisi, Mario Carbone, and Jeff Zalaznick. Wells asserts that Carbone does justice to the traditional Italian-American cuisine "that everybody else sees as uncultured and a little embarrassing, while exposing the sophistication that was always lurking there." Besides the throwback soundtrack and tiled floor, Wells enjoys the shrimp scampi, a "chorus line of langoustines, claws extended, bodies split and slick with butter that implies garlic without coming right out and saying it."
Who cares: If you live in New York City or are visiting anytime soon, you might want to book a table at Carbone sooner than later. And in his write up, Wells makes a good point that it is arguably more interesting to look to our own country's culinary past than seek out inspiration from other cultures' cuisines.
Further reading:Eater, Grub Street

Jamie Oliver Plans World Domination

What happened: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver wants to open 20 of his Italian restaurants around the world. There are currently only four Jamie's Italian restaurants overseas, but the wide-eyed chef has announced plans to expand internationally to Australia, Russia, Turkey, and Singapore within the year. Oliver also plans to install a second restaurant in Dubai. Reuters reports that the 38-year-old chef's "book, television, and restaurant empire has [already] made him an estimated fortune of 225 million pounds ($334 million)." That's a bloody ton of dough, dude.
Who cares: With all these plans to take over the world, how will Jamie have time to preach the gospel of the joys of fresh food and cure the world's obesity epidemic? Don't worry, just sit back and let the rich get richer.
Further reading:Reuters

McDonald's to Launch an 'After Midnight' Menu

What happened: McDonald's wants to serve a limited selection of breakfast and dinner items between midnight and 4am at some of its select 24 hour stores. Late night customers will be able to get Big Macs, Chicken McNuggets, Egg McMuffins and hot cakes. The fast food chain's U.S. sales have been a bit wobbly in the past year, so this is its effort to corner the late-night drunk people market. "The After Midnight menu is expected to appeal more to Millennials, who typically like to eat what they want, when they want," comments USA Today.
Who cares: Do you sometimes get late-night breakfast munchies and need your Chicken Nugget fix with a side of hot cakes? Are you an entitled Millennial who wants it and wants it now? Well, here you go.
Further reading: USA Today, Business Insider

Eat, Drink, Love Will Debut on Bravo

What happened: The upcoming Bravo reality series Eat, Drink, Love follows a bunch of women "connected to the restaurant and food industry in Los Angeles." Eater confirms that the featured ladies on the show are "Kat Odell, the editor of Eater LA; Brenda Urban, formerly of the PR firm Wagstaff Worldwide; and Jessica Miller, Senior Director of Sales & Events at the LA restaurant group Cardiff Giant (The Hudson, The Churchill, Clover Juice)." Eat, Drink, Love premieres August 11.
Who cares: The Bravo show looks absolutely ridiculous and will surely make all food journalists want to throw in the towel. The tagline is, "Five single ladies claw their way to the top of the male-dominated Los Angeles food scene." Shudder.Further reading:Bravo TV, E! Online

Bravo Announces the Top Chef Masters Season 5 Contestants

What happened: Top Chef Masters season 5 is coming at your television screens July 24th. The very, very good looking Curtis Stone is back on hosting duties with Gail Simmons acting as head judge. Additionally, Bryan Voltaggio will be competing as the first Master Chef contestant to have competed on Top Chef. In a twist, Hugh Acheson—the chef behind Empire State South—will be hosting an online series where the masters' sous chefs will be competing and the results will directly affect the main show.
Who cares: Top Chef Masters means seeing some serious culinary world heavy hitters doing things they've paid people to do for years, which is always comical.
Further reading: Hollywood Reporter

Charlie Trotter's Is On Sale for $3.8 Million

What happened: Star chef Charlie Trotter, who shut down his Chicago restaurant last year, is putting his building (and an adjoining one) on the market for $3.8 million. DNAinfo Chicago reports that "The shuttered restaurant at 816 W. Armitage features a kitchen with more than $1 million worth of culinary equipment, according to Coldwell Banker."
Who cares: Are you an aspiring restaurateur with a few milli in his pocket in need of a great space to open your next venture? Start bidding, my friend.
Further reading:DNAinfo Chicago, Eater Chicago

Paula Deen Launches a Line of Finishing Butters

What happened: Paula Deen is launching her own line of butter at Walmart and marketing it as "healthy." Eater reports that Ms. Deen went on The Today Show to talk about her line of butters and made the bold claim that “finishing butters” are healthy because they’re designed to be added to a finished product, presumably cooked without regular butter.
Who cares: It's saddening to watch this marketing crap continuously being shoved down consumers' throats. Plus, if Paula’s really serious about an image makeover, is it smart for her to once again align herself with butter?
Further reading:CBS News, The Los Angeles Times

The NY Times Diner's Journal is No More

What happened: The NY Times Diner's Journal—which began in 2006 as a place for Frank Bruni, then the Times restaurant critic, to post observations about food that went beyond the borders of his weekly review—is no more. The Dining section commented that it ended the blog "in order to consolidate all of [its] food coverage on the main Dining page."
Who cares: Everyone who was a longtime fan of Diner's Journal, including yours truly. The good news? NY Times executive editor Jill Abramson announced that Sifton is stepping down as national editor to take on two new projects. Eater reports, "one of these projects will be 'a new dining news product'," and the other project will be "to create a digital magazine 'in the tradition of Snow Fall,' the Pulitzer Prize-winning interactive multimedia feature story."
Further reading:Eater; The NY Times official announcement.

Hamburger Helper Drops Hamburger from Its Name

What happened: In one week, both Jay-Z and Hamburger Helper changed their names. Hova is dropping the hyphen, to be known as Jay Z forevermore, while Hamburger Helper is nixing Hamburger from its moniker in an attempt to better capture the diversity of its offerings. The revamped brand—now just "Helper"—is trying to cater more to millenials, especially single men, as opposed to its previous demographic of career women with no time to cook. General Mills felt that "Hamburger" was too limiting, especially since its Chicken and Tuna Helpers seem to actually be its most popular varieties. As for the fate of the creepy four-fingered gloved hand mascot Lefty? He's staying.
Who cares: General Mills and possibly broke college boys. That's about it.
Further reading:Business Weekdid a pretty in depth write-up, complete with interviews.

Anthony Bourdain and Top Chef Both Score Emmy Nominations

What happened:Top Chef got a nod for Outstanding Reality Series yet again. More surprising, Anthony Bourdain picked up a cool four nominations—three for his work with CNN's Parts Unknown and one for hosting ABC's The Taste. Not a bad year for food TV, which could use the good press post-Paula.
Who cares: Bourdain fans and Bravo junkies, two groups that have literally nothing else in common.
Further viewing: The shows themselves, if you haven't seen them yet.

Amass Opens to International Fanfare in Copenhagen

What happened: Noma's former head chef, Matt Orlando, opened his own, relatively affordable 60-seat restaurant, also in Copenhagen.
Who cares: Michelin nerds, Noma devotees, and lots of other food-obsessed people who probably don't actually live in Denmark.
Further reading:AOK's writeup of Orlando and the opening. It's in Danish, but Chrome or Google Translate will happily help you out with that one.

Shake Shack Ends the Universe As We Knew It By Introducing Fresh-Cut Fries

What happened: Danny Meyer's international burger/frozen custard sensation finally upgraded to a burger/frozen custard/french fry sensation, rolling out fresh-cut, skin-on fries at its Upper East Side location and promising more to come.
Who cares: Anyone who's ever lamented Shake Shack's In-N-Out Syndrome, in which the fast food joint in question offers fries of puzzlingly inferior quality relative to their burgers and shakes.
Further reading: There isn't much more to the story than that the fries exist, but check out the rest of Shake Shack's sweet french fry food porn!

Ramen Burger Gets Encore After Saturday's Buzzed About Debut

What happened: Ramen king Keizo Shimamoto introduced the shoyu-slathered Ramen Burger at last Saturday's Smorgasburg food and flea market. The Burger, which is packed in between two discs of tightly packed and fried ramen noodles, was a huge hit, attracting over a hundred hungry customers who waited nearly two hours for the burger. Sadly, Shimamoto only had 200 burgers in stock. But after the huge response last Saturday, Smorgasburg and Shimamoto agreed to bring it back, this time with 300 more orders.
Who cares: Ramen noodle fanatics and Williamsburg residents.
Further reading: Scott Lynch of Gothamist breaks down his first experience with the Ramen Burger.

Taco Bell Expands Test of Waffle Taco

What happened: On Thursday, Taco Bell expanded its small test of waffle tacos—which involves scrambled eggs and sausage cradled in a waffle and served with a side of syrup—to about 100 restaurants in Fresno, CA; Omaha, NE; and Chattanooga, TN. President of Taco Bell, Brian Niccol, said he went ahead with the expansion to get a better sense of how well restaurants will be able to handle the added operational pressure from the waffle tacos. Also being tested in the additional locations are a yogurt parfait and oatmeal, but who really cares about fruit and oats when they're pitted agains waffle tacos?
Who cares: People who seriously love savory-sweet hybrid breakfasts.
Further reading: AP has the full breakfast taco story here.

First We Feast Introduces Its New Dog Critic, Oscar

What happened: Pup critic Oscar the Schnoodle critiqued Rachel Ray's dog-friendly recipes this week on First We Feast. He did such an excellent job, we decided to offer him a position as a full-time critic for our website. The Schnoodle got very excited when he heard this news, then started chasing his tail and peed on the floor.
Who cares: Who do you think? We just acquired a top-notch canine critic.
Further reading: Read Oscars' first foray into the world of food reviewing here.

Cargill Began Labeling Products Containing "Pink Slime"

What happened: This week, Cargill announced that they will begin labeling products that contain finely textured beef—or as we know it, "pink slime." The substance, made of trimmings from cow carcasses that are mechanically separated, is often used as a meat filler. Finely textured beef is often at a higher risk for contamination and, due to consumer's plea for transparency, Cargill has decided to make the contents of their products more clear.
Who cares: Americans who like hamburgers (so, Americans)
Further reading: Check out our list of pink slime facts.

Legendary Chicago Chef Charlie Trottier Died

What happened: Chef Charlie Trotter was found dead in his Chicago home on Tuesday. Trotter revolutionized fine dining, and his Michelin-starred restaurant was a Chicago institution for just over 25 years. Trotter was the recipient of several James Beard awards including Humanitarian of the Year in 2012 for providing scholarships for culinary students.
Who cares: Foodies, chefs, PETA
Further reading: See what chefs had to say about Trotter's untimely passing.

What happened:Business Insider EIC Henry Blodgett wrote a rant railing against the presence of bathroom attendants at the famed SoHo brasserie. So Balthazar owner Keith McNally fired his bathroom attendants. But he's hired them back, thanks to a shitstorm of media attention.
Who cares: Bathroom attendants: "Wait, what just happened?"
Further reading: Find out more about the fiasco here.

Danny Bowien served burritos for one night only at the soon-to-open Mission Cantina

What happened: Mission Chinese chef Danny Bowien gave NYC a taste of his soon-to-open restaurant, Mission Cantina. In a one-night-only stunt, Bowien put a makeshift burrito sign on the door of the soon-to-be Mission Cantina space and served burritos chock full of carnitas and chicharron, al pastor and fermented pineapple, lengua, and grilled chicken for $8 a pop.Who cares: All of NYC, and all of Instagram, and all those people patiently waiting for a taste of Bowien's Mexican fare.
Further reading: Check out the Instavideo of chef Danny Bowien creating one of his fine burritos.

FDA Moves Toward the Banning of Trans Fats

What happened: The FDA announced Thursday that it would begin phasing trans fats out of processed foods, declaring that there is "no safe level of consumption of artificial trans fats." Companies are free to petition, but it is reported that they will have to meet "rigorous standards."
Who cares: Any American who wants their country to be known for something besides it's inhabitant's growing waistlines.
Further reading: Read more about what FDA commissioner Margaret Hamburg had to say about the organization's move toward health.

Lay's Announced New Chocolate-Covered Potato Chips

What happened: Lay's announced that it will begin dipping its original potato chips in milk chocolate and selling them—specifically to "millennial women." According to Lay's senior director of marketing, women can't get enough of chocolate-covered snacks lately. Oy, cue the Cathy cartoon.
Who cares: Apparently, young women. But also, people with the munchies, and people that definitely are not on diets.
Further reading: Check out the results of ABC News' chocolate-covered Lay's taste test

New Soda Tax in Mexico May Lead to Corn Syrup (Not Sugar) in Coke

What happened: Due to a new soft drink tax in Mexico, Coca-Cola producers might switch from cane sugar to high fructose corn syrup. The tax will tack on an extra peso per liter of soda, and is a reaction to Mexico's obesity epidemic. This may leave fans of this glass bottled pop blue, even though the contents of these bottles is debatable.
Who cares: Those hip kids that always choose Mexican Coke, Mexicans whose only choice is Mexican Coke.
Further reading: Learn more about the regulations for soda production south of the border.

British Novelist Will Self Threw Down with Jamie Oliver

What happened: In a piece called "Why I Hate Jamie Oliver," Will Self called Oliver "everything wrong with contemporary Britain," adding that he profits from "shameless avariciousness." Self also reports on his dining experience at newly opened Jamie Oliver’s Diner, and concludes that the food is pretty terrible. Let's put it thise way—it's unlikely Oliver and Self will be found talking shop over a bowl of mushy peas anytime soon.
Who cares: British foodies, Jamie Oliver worshippers.
Check out the Oliver-bashing here.

Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich unveil second U.S. Eataly in Chicago

What happened: The wholly anticipated Eataly Chicago finally opened its doors to the public on Monday. The massive food marketplace boasts 63,000 square-feet, (it's over 10,000 square-feet bigger than the New York City version), of all things Italian food. In addition to grocery items and restaurants, Eataly Chicago also has the first ever Nutella Bar. Joe Bastianich told the Chicago Reader that he and partner Mario Batali have three more Eataly locations planned for Philadelphia, Sao Paolo, and Los Angeles.
Who cares: Chicago residents
Further reading: Check out Thrillist's13 reasons you should be eating at Eataly right now.

What happened: Nick Starr was wearing a Google Glass headset while dining at Lost Lake Café in Seattle when a server asked him to remove the contraption, or leave. Starr then took to Facebook to demand an apology and suggested that the owner, David Meinert, fire the server. Little did Starr know, Meinhert announced earlier this year that Google Glass wouldn’t be allowed in his dive bar 5 Point Café, or Lost Lake Café. He posted on the café’s Facebook back, “For the record, The 5 Point is the first Seattle business to ban in advance Google Glasses. And [butt] kickings will be encouraged for violators.” After the incident with Starr, an updated memo was posted saying, “If you do wear your Google Glasses inside, or film or photograph people without their permission, you will be asked to stop, or leave. And if we ask you to leave, for God’s sake, don’t start yelling about your ‘rights’. Just shut up and get out before you make things worse.”
Who cares: Diners considering wearing Google Glass in David Meinert's establishments, privacy-fearing folk, conspiracy theorists
Further reading: Read the full report, along with some particularly snooty quotes from Starr, here.

$10,000 reward for information to the arrest of the Pappy Van Winkle thief

What happened: Sheriff Pat Melton in Kentucky’s Franklin County is offering a $10,000 reward to anyone who can offer information regarding the Pappy Van Winkle theft that occurred in October. Thieves stole 195 bottles of the prized bourbon, worth over $25,000. Melton told the Associated Press that Pappy fans have been keeping their eyes and ears open to find the suspects because the longer the pappy is missing, "that's less that they have an opportunity to get.”
Who cares: Pappy Van Winkle aficionados, Sheriff Pat Melton, boozehounds
Further reading: Check out the full report on the Pappy heist here.

Zuni Café chef Judy Rogers passes away at 57

What happened: Chef Judy Rogers of Zuni Café in San Francisco has passed away at age 57 after a yearlong battle with cancer. With Rogers helming the kitchen, Zuni Café won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurant, and her cookbook, The Zuni Café cookbook won Cookbook of the Year. Rogers has been credited with shaping the Bay area cuisine with her honest approach to cooking. Her famous salt and pepper roast chicken has been unchanged since it was first added to the Zuni Café menu back in 1988, sparking numerous imitations and praises. She will be sorely missed.
Who cares: The culinary community, San Francisco diners, Zuni Café fans
Further reading: See a timeline of Judy Rogers career on Grubstreet.

Jay Z and Beyonce are becoming vegans (for 22 days)

What happened: Jay Z and Beyonce continue their plans for world domination. A day before his 44th birthday, Jay Z announced on his Life + Time’s website that he would be challenging himself to eat a vegan diet for 22 days. While the power couple have made no promises as to what their diets will look like after the 22 days are up, no doubt that vegans everywhere are celebrating this boost of publicity.
Who cares: Vegans, the Illuminati, Jay and Bey followers (so, everyone)
Further reading:Read more about Jay & Bey's plant-based diet here.

Fast food workers strike in hopes to raise minimum wage

What happened: Over 100 cities across the country planned labor walkouts as workers protested the current minimum wage. Right now, minimum wage falls at $7.25 an hour, but fast food workers are trying to get it raised to $15 an hour. In Detroit, picketers outside McDonald’s sang "Hey hey, ho ho, $7.40 has got to go!" Though it’s unlikely that minimum wage would get raised to $15, lawmakers, including President Obama, are working towards raising the bar to $10.10 an hour, which would make a huge difference to millions of people.
Who cares: Fast food workers, anyone who has worked a minimum wage job, politicians
Further reading: Read President Obama's latest remarks on raising minimum wage.

Coolio Is Selling the Rights to Gangsta's Paradise to Fund His Culinary Career

What happened: Coolio decided to auction off the performance royalties to his song portfolio to fund his career as chef and author. This epic decision follows his Food Network stint on Celebrity Chefs and 2009 bestselling cookbook Cookin' With Coolio. The rapper's average yearly royalties for his catalog are $23,227, according to The Royalty Exchange's website, but the bidding for the catalog will start at $140,000. Makes sense.
Who cares: We'd like Coolio to realize his dream, and we'd also like to cop those rights for Gangster's Paradise. That song brings back so many sweet, sweet memories of watching Dangerous Minds.Further reading: NBC News has the full story here.

The Latest Lucky Peach Issue Was Released

What happened: On Thursday, Eater reported that David Chang and McSweeney's dropped the eight issue of Lucky Peach. It's a dual-cover issue, and the theme is gender, as you can see by those oh-so-phallic gourds and peppers and that yonic papaya. The issue includes stories from Alice Waters, Anthony Bourdain, Ben Shewry, and hermaphrodite fish.
Who cares: Any avid reader of this gorgeous, cultishly-followed journal. And feminists?
Further reading: Eater has the full story here.

The Game Got Turned Away From Houston's

What happened: Rapper The Game says that when he tried to eat lunch at Houston’s in Pasadena, a manager turned him away. The rapper tweeted: “Its 90 degrees outside so I have a tank top on & the manager on duty says the tattoos on my arms are threatening 2 lunch customers … Racism still exists.” Now #DontEatAtHoustonsPasadena is trending, and The Game is responsible.
Who cares: People who have tattoos and those who think the Houston manager turned The Game away because of the color of his skin.
Further reading: Check out our full coverage of the event on First We Feast.

Lupe Fiasco Committed Cronuts Slander

What happened: First, Lupe Fiasco subtweeted Kendrick Lamar while bragging about his fake Cronuts. He dropped some music as a response to Kendrick’s controversial “Control” verse, which was a good move. But then he turned around and started tweeting about his fake Cronuts again and called them "Ex-Dunkin Donuts who didn't get drafted." Ouch.
Who cares: Those fake Cronut's are probably so embarassed, and we're still unsure if Kendrick Lamar actually cares.
Further reading:Our in-depth look at the Lupe-Cronut situation is a must read.

Eddie Huang Landed ABC Pilot for Fresh Off The Boat

What happened: It wasn’t enough for Mr. Eddie Huang to simply host a new food-reality TV series on MTV. Now, the Baohaus chefs’ memoir, Fresh Off The Boat, is being made into a put pilot for ABC by Don’t Trust The B—- in Apartment 23 creator Nahnatchka Khan. Khan is writing/executive producing the pilot and Huang will serve as producer.
Who cares: Fans of Mr. Huang and anyone who likes to think of themselves as "fresh off the boat." Plus, Eddie seemed pretty stoked when he 'grammed this picture.
Further reading: Deadline Hollywood was the first to break the news.

Empire Plates of Mine, An Ode to NYC Food, was Released

What happened: Brian Hoffman of EatThisNY dropped an awesome parody of Jay Z's Empire State of Mind. His version, titled Empire Plates of Mine is an ode to NYC food and restaurants, and it's pretty damn great. "In the video, Hoffman raps in front of many NYC culinary landmarks — Roberta's, Russ and Daughters, Katz's Deli — while laying down lyrics like, 'Catch me in the Bronx eating Parm at a Yankee game / Yeah, they made Italian food more famous than the Frankies can," Eater reports.
Who cares: People who love NYC and its culinary offerings.
Further reading: Here's the video and Hoffman's awesome blog, EatThisNY.

Paula Deen Racial Discrimination Claims Dismissed

What happened: Paula Deen is off the hook, sort of. On Monday, a federal judge dismissed claims of racial discrimination from a lawsuit filed by Lisa Jackson, a former employee of Deen's. The judge ruled that the plaintiff can't sue for treatment that she herself didn't allegedly endure (Jackson is white). Although these claims were dismissed, allegations of sexual harassment still stand.
Who cares: Paula Deen just got a load taken off her shoulders, and everyone on the We Support Paula Deen Facebook page is definitely celebrating.
Further reading: Watch Glenn Beck's full report on the dismissal.

R. Kelly Dropped His Amazing New Song, "Cookie"

What happened: Kelz did it again: His new song, “Cookie,” is another triumph of ridiculous R&B euphemism. Is he singing about eating actual Oreos, or incredibly graphic sexual acts? Definitely the latter, which is why you should drop everything and listen to it now.
Who cares: Cookie Monster, because he's def being outshined by Kelz.
Further reading: Check out these pictures of R. Kelly photoshopped onto your favorite cookies. You won't be mad you did.

Esquire Announced Its 2013 Best New Restaurants List

What happened: Recently, Bon Appétit’s Andrew Knowlton named his 10 best new restaurants of 2013. Now, Esquire critic John Mariani has come out with his own list of superlatives for the year, which is notable in that it has only two points of overlap with the BA list: Rolf and Daughters in Nashville, and The Ordinary in Charleston. NYC's Betony got the highest honors from the Esquire critic. Mariani awarded "Chef of the Year" to Michael Chiarello of Coqueta.
Who cares: Bon App's Andrew Knowlton, who might be second guessing his 10 best restaurant picks.
Further reading: Check out Esquire's full 2013 Best New Restaurants List.

MTV's Breastaurant Reality TV show, Big Tips Texas, Premiered

What happened: The North Texas ‘breastaurant’ Redneck Heaven (yes, that’s what it’s called) is the subject of a reality show which aired Wednesday night on MTV. The show follows the bikini-clad waitresses of the breastaurant, who attempt to make customers "happy and horny." "The fabricated conflict begins to wear thin almost immediately, but practically speaking, it’s hard to go wrong with Southern miscreants these days—unless that happens to be 'Buckwild,'" reports Variety.
Who cares: We didn’t know MTV could lower it’s standards this much. But, we're not going to say we didn't watch the episode.
Further reading:Here's the full Variety review of Big Tips Texas, episode one.

Government Shutdown Stalls Craft Beer Production

What happened: Since the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau is not running under the government shutdown, there is no one available to process brewery notices (which allow new breweries to open) or grant COLAS (Certificates of Label Approval) that allow breweries to produce new beers and ship them across state lines. This leaves many breweries slated to open at the end of this year stagnant, and, most likely, losing money.
Who cares: Mike Brenner hoped to open his Milwaukee brewery in December, but the way things are going, he doubts his paperwork will be processed in time. He estimates his losses are around $8,000 a month. “Even in a bad economy, people drink beer," Brenner tells the Associated Press.
Further reading: Check out this video from the Associated Press, which details exactly how the shutdown is affecting the craft brewing industry.

The #StarbucksDrakeHands Hashtag Was Born

What happened: Brody Ryan sent a video selfie to a model he met at Starbucks after taking her phone number. The clip shows Brody staring into the camera and hiding his eyes behind his hands as Drake’s “Hold On We’re Going Home” plays in the background. The model sent the video to her friend Ben Roc, who immediately posted it on Instagram (good work) and added the hashtag #StarbucksDrakeHands.
Who cares: The Internet went mad over #StarbucksDrakeHands, and spoofs have been popping up all over Instagram with the hashtag.
Further reading: Watch some of the best #StarbucksDrakeHands videos created so far right here.

Kate Upton & Snoop Dogg Released a Hot Pockets Video

What happened: In the latest spot for Hot Pockets, Kate Upton gets all “who needs a vibrator when I have microwaveable food” with a Hot Pocket, then drifs off into a fantasy world in which Snoop Dogg, Bow Wow, and some guest stars rhyme to the melody of Biz Markie’s “Just a Friend” about whether it’s the crust or the meat that makes the snack so tasty.
Who cares: Men.
Further reading: Watch the whole video above, then check out some of the most WTF moments in GIF form here

First We Feast Celebrated Its One Year Anniversary!

It's been a fun ride so far, loyal fans. Only expect more awesome shit to come. In celebration, feel free to check out First We Feast's best food porn and best stories so far.

Cronut Creator Dominique Ansel Debuted The "Magic Soufflé"

What happened: Dominique Ansel, Cronut inventor extraordinaire, debuted a “Magic Soufflé” at his Spring Street bakery on Friday, and it sold out in 15 minutes. The $7 soufflé has an orange-scented brioche exterior with a chocolate interior. Ansel instructs customers to eat the soufflé fresh out of the oven, so as to ensure that its molten chocolate center is still gooey.
Who cares: People waiting in line for a Cronut, because Ansel has moved on and so should you.
Further reading:Read our full report about the revolutionary confection.

Pete Wells Publicly Stated He Thinks Tipping is Stupid

What happened:New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells called tipping an "irrational, outdated, and ineffective" system for restaurants in an opinion piece that ran in Tuesday's paper. Pete's eloquent argument ignited more controversy about an already heavily debated topic. Wells says leaving a generous tip has no effect on the service you receive, because "servers have no way of telling that [good tippers] aren’t the hated type that leaves 10 percent of the pretax total, beverages excluded."
Who cares: Waitstaff in America, who consider tips their main source of income, as well as foreigners who don't understand why they have to tip while visiting the U.S.
Further reading: Check out Pete Wells' "Leaving a Tip: A Custom In Need of Changing?" story over at nytimes.com, and decide for yourself if you think tipping is an ineffective system.

KFC Japan Unleashed Chopstick-Friendly Deep Fried Soup

What happened: This Thursday, KFC Japan started serving deep-fried corn potage fritters—aka fried balls of corn soup. "Corn potage is a popular soup in Japan, found anywhere from upscale cafes to convenience stores like 7-Eleven," reports The Huffington Post. We know what you're thinking: How the hell do you deep fry soup? A glob of corn potage is covered in batter and then chucked in the deep fryer. Still confused? Come on, it's just like deep frying a root beer float.
Who cares: People who like deep fried corn fritters? The Japanese?
Further reading: Read more about the shocking news here.

Food Magazine Lucky Peach Split from McSweeney's Publishing House

What happened: As of November, cultishly-followed food journal Lucky Peach will no longer be published through McSweeneys. Eater reports that the magazine's editorial staff will remain and "will always feel the same way about McSweeney's as Whitney Houston feels about Kevin Costner." That's sweet.
Who cares: Die-hard Lucky Peach fans, along with Adam Krefman—formerly the associate publisher at McSweeney's—who will join the Lucky Peach staff as publisher.
Further reading: Read Eater's recap and the full press release here.

California's Foie Gras Ban Was Upheld By Federal Court

What happened: The original California ban on delicious foie gras took effect in July 2012, on the grounds that the practice of force feeding ducks and geese to enlarge their livers is inhumane. But the law was challenged earlier this summer by a coalition of duck farmers and Los Angeles restaurant owners, who filed a lawsuit against the recently implemented ban, claiming that it is “unconstitutional, vague, and interferes with federal commerce laws.” This past week, a panel of three judges from the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the ban.
Who cares: Ducks and geese can continue to rejoice while Cali gastronomes hang their heads in sadness. But most California chefs don't seem to give a damn about the ban—many have found loopholes in the law and continue serving the delicacy anyway.
Further reading: Read more about the court's decision on latimes.com.

New Hypebeast Food Alert: The Bantam Bagel Hole Made Its Debut

What happened: Cream-filled, bite sized bagels have descended upon the world, courtesy of West Village bagel shop Bantam Bagels. Although we have our reservations about this new hypebeast food, “The Slice” bagel hole variety—which is filled with marinara and mozzarella and topped with pepperoni—does sound pretty f**king great. In other news, a restaurant opened in nearby Greenwich Village this week serving only potatoes.
Who cares: I am sure that all the elderly Jews in Brooklyn would be rolling in their graves knowing that bagel holes are about to take over the foodie universe, Cronut-style.
Further reading: Peep all the bantam bagel hole varieties here.

Ja Rule Made Plans to Write A Microwave Cookbook Inspired By His Time in Prison

What happened: On Geoffrey Zakarian’s SiriusXM show “Food Talk," Ja Rule apparently mentioned that, while behind bars, he learned to cook anything and everything in a microwave. Word also emerged that Ja was working on a cookbook of microwave-only recipes—though on Twitter, he seemed as amused by the idea as the rest of us.
Who cares: Ashanti, Martha Stewart
Further reading: Read more about Ja Rule and his microwave cookbook plans here.

What happened: With the release of Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues comes the birth a monumental new Ben & Jerry's flavor, named after anchorman Ron Burgundy's favorite treat: scotch. The flavor is butterscotch ice cream with butterscotch swirls.
Who cares: Mustachioed gentlemen, sugar addicts
Further reading: Read our take on the new flavor here.

Tamba Hali Left A $1,000 Tip at a Kansas City Fogo de Chao

What happened: The Kansas City Chiefs linebacker tipped the manager over $1,000 for good service after bringing 15 friends to dinner. Hali is a regular diner at the Brazilian-themed steakhouse. The staff split the tip evenly.
Who cares: The one waiter who did most of the work.
Further reading: Find out more about the momentous dinner over on Eater.

What happened: Cranky Cuozzo dishes on the bony fish, cold vegetables, stupid decor, and pointless silence at Nicholas Nauman's Eat in Greenpoint. Come for the crushing of dreams, stay for the Bourdain-style heartless humor.
Who cares: Faux-Buddhists
Further reading: Bask in Cuozzo's disgust for Brooklynites at the New York Post.

Armed Robbers Stole $60K From Bowery Whole Foods

What happened: A pair of armed robbers held up employees at a Whole Foods Market on Bowery and Houston on Sunday night and made off with more than $60,000 cash. A store worker said that the robbery may have been an inside job, according to the NY Post.
Who cares: Post-yoga grocery shoppers, people who can afford to live in Nolita
Further reading: Check out our coverage here.

Factory Fire Left Gabila's Short on Coney Island Square Knishes

What happened: Gabila's recently posted a notice to its website stating that, due to a small factory fire, it would no longer be able to produce its famous square knishes. The owner of Katz's Deli promises to pound round knishes into a square shape for his customers.
Who cares: Knish enthusiasts; Katz's; the Jewish old-timers of NYC
Further reading: We've got the full knish shortage story right here.

Cracker Barrel fails to stand up to Duck Dynasty fans

By now, everyone and his mother has heard of the recent scandal that has plagued the Duck Dynasty crew. In an interview with GQ, duck master Phil Robertson shared his feelings on everything from civil rights to homosexuality, which were met with an onslaught of criticism. Cracker Barrel responded by announcing it would remove all Duck Dynasty products from their shelves. Within a day, Cracker Barrel had received so much flack for removing the items it sent out a press release apologizing to fans and assuring the memorabilia would be put back. Here is an excerpt from the press release: “You told us we made a mistake. And, you weren’t shy about it. You wrote, you called and you took to social media to express your thoughts and feelings. You flat out told us we were wrong.”

Chicago sandwich shop fires 20 employees before Christmas

In a very un-Christmasy spirit, the Chicago branch of the sandwich shop Snarf’s laid off 20 employees (by email!) three days before Christmas. The email claimed that Snarf’s had a tough year financially and that the management would be re-conceptualizing the restaurant. Chicago advocacy group Fight For 15 has been spreading the word and has asked the restaurant to rehire the fired workers, but after such a blow it’s doubtful that the employees will be itching to return. The CEO has apologized for dealing with the layoffs over e-mail.

Steve Hanson leaves BR Guest, the hospitality group he founded 25 years ago

Steve Hanson, the founder of BR Guest, the now-massive hospitality group he founded in 1987, has just announced he will be departing the company to pursue other opportunities. BR Guest is responsible for restaurants including the Blue Water Grill, Dos Caminos, and Strip House. Back in 2007, Hanson sold BR Guest to Starwood Capital Group for a cool $150 million. No word on what exactly Hanson will be pursuing now that he's a multi-millionaire.

McDonald's shuts down its own employee resource website

After receiving continuous flack for its lack of insensitivity, McDonald’s has just closed down its employee resource website. In addition to offering recommendations on how much to tip your au pair and pool cleaner, the site also advised employees to stay away from fast food. Here's what the site had to say: “Fast foods are quick, reasonably priced, and readily available alternatives to home cooking. While convenient and economical for a busy lifestyle, fast foods are typically high in calories, fat, saturated fat, sugar, and salt and may put people at risk for becoming overweight."

Santas make it rain in Spokane with $20 bills

A group of volunteers in Spokane, WA spread the holiday cheer this Christmas Eve by handing out $20 bills to fast-food workers. The volunteers raised more than $3,000 and were able to visit 18 fast food locations. It may not be as much as #TipsForJesus, but the group is hoping to make it an annual tradition.

"Chick-Phil-A" group hosting Phil Robertson appreciation day at Chick-Fil-A

In more Duck Dynasty news, "Chick-Phil-A" announced on its Facebook page that on January 21st, fans of the notorious A&E show Duck Dynasty should head to their local Chick-Fil-A and “Stand for free speech. Sit for good food.” Chick-Fil-A claims it has nothing to do with the event, but it hasn’t exactly come out against it, either. You may remember that back in 2012, Chick-Fil-A’s COO Don Cathy was under fire for his anti-gay remarks.

Mario Batali buys 200 pairs of orange Crocs

What happened: In an interview with Details, Mario Batali revealed that his signature orange Crocs are going to be discontinued. Batali’s uniform of a ponytail and shorts wouldn’t be complete without his spongy footwear, so the chef ordered 200 pairs as backup. Although the bright orange Crocs will be a thing of the past, the company is still planning on carrying Batali’s Bistro Mario Batali Vent Clogs.
Who cares: Orange Croc lovers, Mario Batali fans, the Crocs public relations department
Further reading: Read the Details interview with Mario Batali here, where he breaks the shocking news.

Famed Chicago chef Jean Banchet passes away at 72

What happened: More sad news for Chicago’s restaurant scene: Chef Jean Banchet, of Le Francais in Chicago, passed away at age 72 from pancreatic cancer this week. Banchet's wife, Doris, told the Chicago Tribube, "It was three weeks ago today that we got the news. It went so fast it was unbelievable. February would have been our 50th anniversary." The much-awarded restaurant, which Banchet opened in 1973, introduced fine dining to a meat-and-potatoes city and set the bar for Chicago restaurants to follow. Much like chef Charlie Trotter who passed away in early November from a stroke, Banchet had been an inspiration for aspiring chefs in Chicago and beyond.
Who cares: Chicago residents, anyone who had a chance to eat at Le Francais
Further reading: Read the full report in the Chicago Tribunehere.

Charlie Trotter cause of death revealed

What happened: By now, the entire food community has heard of Chicago chef Charlie Trotter’s unexpected passing earlier this month. After weeks of uncertainty, Cook County Medical Examiner Stephen Cina announced that Trotter died from a stroke, and that there was no sign of drugs or alcohol in his body.
Who cares: The entire food community and Chicago residents
Further reading: Check out the full report from the Chicago Tribune here.

New Jersey family slams waitress for anti-gay hoax

What happened:The couple who reportedly stiffed a gay server and left an note saying, “I’m sorry I can’t tip because I do not agree with your lifestyle & the way you live your life,” may have all been a hoax. The accused family has come forward with proof against waitress Dayna Morales’ claim with a copy of their receipt from the restaurant that clearly states an $18 tip was left, along with a copy of their Visa bill. Morales has been collecting tips from anonymous donors all over the world, which she says she’s been donating to the Wounded Warrior Project. Whether or not the tips have actually been donated is still up for discussion.
Who cares: People who have been sending tips to Dayna Morales
Further reading: Read the full report from the accused family here.

Thieves steal entire Thanksgiving pantry from Sacramento church

What happened: A group of heartless hooligans broke into the Christ Temple Apostolic Church in Sacramento, stealing all of the food donations meant to be used for Thanksgiving day. Since word broke of this cold blooded crew, the local community banded together offering even more donations to ensure the less fortunate would get a full Thanksgiving dinner. Also donated was a padlock for the freezer where the butterballs are kept.
Who cares: People with a conscious
Further reading: Read more about how the church is recovering here.

Giada De Laurentiis slices more than turkey on live TV

What happened: During Food Network’s live taping of their Thanksgiving special, chef Giada De Laurentiis sliced her finger while attempting to cut a turkey roll. The boisterous celebrity chef took to Instagram to show her fans a before and after photo of the bloody slice, captioning it, “An adjustment to my normal mani! #backtonormalin2wks #thanksgivinglive." Oh, the perils of live television.
Who cares: People watching Food Network’s Thanksgiving special, Giada's manicurist, people who appreciate over-enunciation
Further reading: Check out a photo of the gruesome incident here.

Michelin Released Its 2014 NYC Star Ratings

What happened: Tuesday afternoon, Michelin unveiled its star rankings for 2014. Brooklyn's River Café is not included in this year's guide. César Ramirez’s Chef's Table at Brooklyn Fare remained the only restaurant in Brooklyn with three stars. Gordon Ramsay at the London dropped off the list completely, and newcomers on the list include Carbone, Aska, the Musket Room, Telepan, and Ichimura at Brushstroke.
Who cares: River Café—which was nearly destroyed by Hurricane Sandy—has had a tough couple of years. The newcomers are probably pretty stoked.
Further reading: Grub Street's got the full list here.

Dogfish Head is Opening a Beer-Themed Hotel

What happened: Delaware's Dogfish Head Brewery announced plans this week to open its own 16-room, beer-themed hotel. "The Dogfish Inn will debut next year in a former motel space in downtown Lewes, Delaware, about 11 miles away from the Dogfish Brewery in Milton (and seven miles away from the company's brewpub, in the tourist-friendly Rehoboth Beach)," reports Eater. “Our goal is to get guests out to the restaurants in town and to explore Delaware,” Mr. Calagione told The New York Times. The rooms will have soap and shampoo infused with beer.
Who cares: Residents of Delaware. Beer nerds. Sam Calagione fans. Everyone in the world, including us.
Further reading: Head on over to The NYTimes Travel blog for the full story.

The Deep-Fried Mac and Cheese Bun Burger Was Invented

What happened: Rockit Burger Bar in Chicago is dishing up what they’re calling a “Mac Attack”: a burger topped with scallions, lettuce, tomato, and Sriracha ketchup, sandwiched between—what else but—deep-fried mac n’ cheese buns.
Who cares: We must admit, we miss the light-as-air, soft, and oh-so-humble burger buns of our past. (Shout out to Martin’s Potato Rolls.)
We can’t say our curiosity isn’t peaked, though. If the Mac Attack was offered to us, who are we to decline?
Further reading: We've got the whole story here, and feel free to take a gander at the Rockit Burger Bar menu.

Legendary Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan died

What happened: Legendary Italian cookbook author Marcella Hazan died Sunday at the age of 89. “She was the first mother of Italian cooking in America,” restauranteur Lidia Bastianich tells The New York Times. When Ms. Hazan came to New York in 1955, Italian cuisine was still exotic, and a plate of spaghetti was served with sauce reminiscent of ketchup. Marcella’s approach to Italian cooking was simplistic and balanced. She published her first cookbook in 1973, and went on to change the way Americans cook Italian food forever.
Who cares: Mario Batali—Hazan was his Julia Child. And everyone who loves Hazan's recipe for Tomato Sauce with Onion and Butter (aka the most famous tomato sauce on the Internet).
Further reading: Check out this video, in which The Times’s Mark Bittman asks Hazan to tell the story of how she first started to write cookbooks.

KFC Unleashed The "Go-Cup," And The World Will Never Be The Same

What happened: KFC has addressed fast food consumers’ hopes and dreams and created KFC ”Go Cups,” which easily fit into car cup holders and contain all types of fried chicken creations and potato wedges. One Go Cup with Extra Crispy™ Tenders and seasoned potato wedges contains 24 grams of fat and 1440 mg of sodium.
Who cares: Has it really come to this? We can’t sit in a restaurant and eat our fried chicken tenders, or wait until we get home to consume our Original Recipe® Bites, Hot Wings™?
Further reading: We've got the full story right here.

Nation panics over Velveeta shortage

What happened: Kraft may be running out of Velveeta, at least temporarily. Let the panic begin. After hearing reports that a few East Coast grocery stores were running low on the processed orange cheese, Ad Age contacted Kraft to find out the real scoop. Kraft spokeswoman Jody Moore says, “Given the incredible popularity of Velveeta this time of year, it is possible consumers may not be able to find their favorite product on store shelves over the next couple of weeks.” With football season upon us, the news couldn’t come at a worse time.
Who cares: Football fans, processed cheese lovers
Further reading: Read the full story on Ad Agehere. Then cook these 8 amazing Velveeta recipes before it's too late.

Critic Adam Platt has first TV interview since abandoning his anonymity

What happened: By now, everyone in the food world knows that Adam Platt, the New York Magazine restaurant critic, has shed his anonymity by putting his face on the cover of the last December issue. Now, Plattypants has had his first interview on CBS which offers a more *cough* flattering look at the man who has been influencing New York diners for years. Platt goes on to tell CBS why he’s struggled with anonymity, and why he chose to finally step out into the limelight.
Who cares: New York City restaurateurs, the self-proclaimed food obsessives of New York
Further reading: See the full story and watch the video here or above.

Anthony Bourdain is creating an international street food market in NYC

What happened: Anthony Bourdain, the former bad boy-turned-TV personality, is creating a brand new street food market in New York City. So far, there isn’t much info on the market, but Bourdain did tell Eater, “"I am indeed working on this project—carefully assembling a dream list of chefs, operators, street food and hawker legends from around the world—in hopes of bringing them together in one New York City space ... As the greatest city in the world, I've long felt that we should have the kind of delicious, diverse food centers that Singapore (for instance) enjoys."
Who cares:Kitchen Confidential fans, New York city residents looking for awesome cheap eats, Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich
Further reading: Read more about the unnamed market here.

California just passed a law requiring chefs to wear gloves in the kitchen

What happened: California just passed a law that as of January 1st, chefs handling any food that isn’t going to be thoroughly cooked will need to wear gloves or use utensils. That means any chef touching bread, salad, and sushi—or decorating your plate with petite blossoms—will be wearing gloves. The law also states that foodservice workers must wash their hands with soap and water before entering a kitchen, and between glove changes, which we hope they would do anyway.
Who cares: It's not rocket science to know that California chefs aren't thrilled with the new law.
Further reading: You can read more details about the law at the San Francisco Chronicle

Rooster Sauce fanatics, rejoice! Sriracha is back on the market

What happened: A few weeks ago, Huy Fong Foods, the makers of Sriracha, had to halt production on hipsters' favorite condiment. People living near the factory had complained about headaches from the fumes, and Huy Fong Foods had to prove that Sriracha was free of harmful microorganisms. Now fans of the spicy sauce can rest easy—Sriracha shipments will resume at the end of the month.
Who cares: People who found homemade Sriracha just wasn't the same, neighbors of the Huy Fong Foods factory
Further reading: Celebrate by making one of these amazing sriracha fueled recipes.

A new study finds that the food industry has cut 6.4 trillion calories from products

What happened: In 2010, 16 companies including General Mills, Kraft, and Kellog pledged to slash 1.5 trillion calories from their products by 2015. A new study found that between 2007 and 2012, the food industry has already cut 6.4 trillion calories, more than four times the amount pledged.
Who cares: People trying to lose weight
Further reading: Read more about the study on USA Today.

What happened: A Papa John’s delivery guy in Sanford, FL butt-dialed a black customer and proceeded to leave a racist voicemail. Allegedly, he was ticked off because the customer tipped him poorly. The customer posted a YouTube video in which he showed the pizza delivery receipt (he tipped 21%) and played the racist rant, and it went viral (uh-oh). The employee proceeded to get canned and Papa John's Chairman and CEO John Schnatter apologized on Facebook for his employee’s rant.
Who cares: No matter how much you like Papa John's, the next time you order from the pizza chain you're probably going to wonder if your delivery man is secretly a racist a**hole.
Further reading:ABC News, The Huffington Post, The Daily Dot

New Labeling Rules for Meat Tell You Where The Animal Was Born, Raised, and Slaughtered

What happened: Would you like to know a little more about the life of the animal you’re about to eat? New federal labeling rules went into effect on Thursday requiring labels on steaks, ribs, and other cuts of meat to say where the animal was born, raised, and slaughtered. Previously, the U.S. Department of Agriculture only required that the package note the countries of origin, so a package only had to say “Produce of U.S. and Canada.” Tri County Record reports that the president of The National Grocers Association was not happy. He stated, “The costs of this new change will far exceed the benefits intended and will result in no meaningful consumer benefits.” Also, the new labeling removes the allowance for commingling of cuts from different countries, which apparently pissed off Mexico and Canada and made them afraid that meat shipments would be decreased.
Who cares: As companies buy new signs, labels, and labeling machines, the price of your meat could very well increase. If so, you're going to have to be a little more conservative with the steak at those weekly summer barbecues you had planned.
Further reading: Yahoo, NewsDaily

Patrick Stewart Posts a Picture of His "First Pizza"

What happened: Sir Patrick Stewart made headlines on Wednesday when he posted a picture of himself on Twitter along with the comment "My first ever pizza 'slice'. Please note: the authentic NY fold." What the hell, we thought—who has their first pizza slice at age 72!? Turns out it wasn’t the first time he had eaten pizza, just the first time he’d ever experienced a corner store slice. Still, that’s pretty sad.
Who cares: If you love pizza, or Sir P. Stewart, this is sort of blasphemous.
Further reading: NY Daily News

Cronut Mania Continues, Sparks a Black Market for the Pastry and Inspires Rip-offs

What happened: At this point, the only way you don't know about Dominique Ansel's Cronut is if you actually don't exist and are just a Twitter bot—and even then you probably get the general idea from all the tweets about the thing. The mania for the pastry continued apace this week—it has now sparked a $40-a-pop black market, and the bakery trademarked the Cronut to ward off imposters. Speaking of imposters, here's a DIY cronut recipe using Pillsbury crescents.
Who cares: It’s a donut-croissant hybrid and we just gave you a link to a recipe to make them at home. Come on. If you’re more into thinking about the future effects of Cronuts, picture this: By next year all your favorite donut stores might be selling cronuts instead of traditional donuts and then you’ll be craving a glazed old-fashioned and you won’t be able to get one. That’s going to suck.
Further reading:Eater National, Daily Mail

Daniel Boulud, Michael White Expanding Culinary Empires

What happened: French chef and restauranteur Daniel Boulud is making his way back to Vegas with an outpost of his NYC hotspot DBGB Kitchen & Bar. He is also rumored to be setting his sights on D.C. for his next restaurant venture. Michael White, the chef and co-owner of heavy hitter restaurants such as Ai Fiori and Marea, is the latest American chef to open an establishment across the pond. White's Chop Shop will be inspired by a butcher's shop and will be located in central London.
Who cares: The influx of big-name New York restaurants to London is reaching fever pitch, which is an interesting development in itself. Meanwhile, we now have further evidence that Vegas is the official stronghold of expensive NYC restaurants outside of NYC—soon to be rivaled only by London, perhaps.
Further reading:Eater

Umami Burger Arriving in NYC This Summer

What happened:New York's reputable restaurant critic, Adam Platt, penned a lengthy, praise-filled profile of Adam Fleischman, the man behind the West Coast's Umami Burger chain. Platt comes away convinced of of the strengths of Umami Burger, which is making it's NYC debut this summer in Greenwich Village.
Who cares: There is a bi-coastal burger showdown happening in NYC with Shake Shack pitted against newcomer Umami Burger. The latter is coming in armed with plenty of hype, which hopefully translates into another great burger option.
Further reading: First We Feast, NY Mag

The Horrid Owners of Amy's Baking Company Might Get Their Own Reality TV Show

What happened: After appearing on Kitchen Nightmares and screaming at customers, the owners of Amy’s Baking Company went on a Facebook rant abusing online reviewers, then owner Samy Bouzaglo almost got deported. This week, The Huffington Post reports that the owners may be rewarded for their foul behavior with their own reality TV series. America!
Who cares: It all makes for really quality soap-opera style drama. Catch up on a timeline of the whole debacle here.
Further reading: The Huffington Post, Fox News

Starbucks Baristas Fight For Their Tips

What happened: On Tuesday, Starbucks went to New York states highest court in a tip-jar dispute. Starbucks currently allows baristas and shift supervisors—but not assistant managers—to dip into the tip jar. But the managers think that part of the tips should be theirs and have filed a suit against the corporation.
Who cares: “[The court decision] could have broad consequences for the state's hospitality workers and, ultimately, employees at the coffee chain's thousands of U.S. retail stores," notes The Oregonian. This could mean a large pay increase for managers, and potentially legions of pissed-off baristas.
Further reading:CNN Money

Chicago Tribune Awards Four Stars to Next, For the Bazillionth Time

What happened:Chicago Tribune dining critic Phil Vettel reviewed the new vegan menu at superstar chef Grant Achatz's Next, loved it, and gave it four stars. The thing is, Vettel has reviewed every single seasonal menu at Next since its opening, every three months on the dot, giving each of them four stars.
Who cares: Vettel is spending quite a bit of the Tribune’s money reviewing the same high profile restaurant over and over when he could be reviewing new restaurants, or restaurants that are extraordinary and actually need the press. As the role of the critic becomes more and more nebulous in the Yelpian age, Vettel is perhaps not making the most convincing case for why professional criticism is indispensable.
Further reading:Chicagoist

#GuardianCoffee: Yes, The Guardian's New Coffee Shop Has a Hashtag in its Name

What happened: British national daily newspaper the Guardian opened a coffee shop in Shoreditch, East London this week called #GuardianCoffee (hashtag and all). Eater reports that, according to the newspaper, “The decision to open a coffee shop was as much about providing journalists with a space to work as it was about providing a place for people to buy coffee. The shop will also be hosting interviews and events.”
Who cares: If you’re a journalist who drinks coffee and is fond of hashtags, rejoice. Also, are bars and cafes opened by publishing companies becoming a thing? Conde Nast is already deep in the game.
Further reading:Eater National

Man arrested for impersonating a cop to get a Dunkin' Donuts discount

What happened: Charles T. "Chuck" Barry was arrested in Florida for impersonating a police officer, fake badge and all, all in the name of getting a 10% off discount at Dunkin' Donuts. Barry would come by Dunkin' Donuts a few times a week, even bringing his family in on the weekends, and would repeatedly ask for a discount. Once the manager caught wind of the situation local authorities were notified and Barry was arrested for impersonating an officer and improper exhibition of a firearm. You have to wonder if a 10% discount was really worth the trouble.
Who cares: Doughnut lovers, anyone considering a career as a cop, con artists
Further reading: Check out the official video of Barry flashing his badge and gun here.

The San Francisco Chronicle plans to shutter its stand-alone food section

What happened: News broke that The San Francisco Chronicle is ending its stand-alone James Beard award-winning food section. Come February 2014, all the food content will be folded into a new lifestyle section called "Artisan."
Who cares: San Francisco residents, aspiring food writers, newspaper junkies
Further reading: Read our full report of the closure here.

Female chefs respond to Time's "The Gods of Food" issue

What happened: Last week's issue of Time ignited a discussion on sexism in the food world. The spread, which showcased a family tree of five chefs and their influence across the globe, completely left out any mention of female chefs in over 50 names mentioned. In a new piece by Time, Alice Waters says “Women are just not thought of as capable as men. Maybe a few in the pastry department rise up but that’s not even considered an important part of the meal, that’s just dessert.”
Who cares: Again, anyone who cares about gender equality.
Further reading: See the original article here, and read the female chefs responseshere.

Sandwich blogger gets her own book deal

What happened: Stephanie Smith, the controversial blogger behind 300 Sandwiches just landed her very own book deal. You may remember Stephanie as the woman who is making her boyfriend 300 sandwiches so that he'll put a ring on it, while at the same time setting the women's rights movement back 50 years. The book will be published by Zink Ink, a division of Random House and will undoubtedly be filled with...sandwich recipes.
Who cares: Anyone who cares about women's rights, sandwich aficionados, aspiring house wives
Further reading: Check out three other bloggers who we think are more deserving of a book deal.

Vanity Fair takes on turkey for their latest Food Snob video

What happened:Vanity Fair delivered their latest Food Snob video just in time for Thanksgiving. Bourbon red, standard bronze, and Spanish black ring a bell? No, they aren't color swatches from a J. Crew catalogue, they're breeds of heritage breed turkeys. The video breaks down the difference between these prized birds and the dreaded butterballs, all the while gently poking fun at bird-obsessed foodies.
Who cares: Carnivores, anyone who wants to enjoy their Thanksgiving Butterball-free
Further reading: Watch the video here and then check out Dieselboy's epic guide to cooking a baller Thanksgiving dinner.

Travel Channel just greenlighted another food show starring Alan Richman

What happened: Man vs. Food's Alan Richman is hosting a new show called Eat Secrets on the Travel Channel. Expect to see Richman's journey across America to "uncover the most unique, surprising and delicious hidden food treasures in every town. He searches for the dishes you would never find anywhere else on the planet, at the places you would never expect."
Who cares: People with a bad case of wanderlust, Alan Richman fans, state fair enthusiasts, patriots
Further reading: Read more about the new food show on Variety.

Libertarian Rand Paul fights (imaginary) doughnut ban

What happened: The FDA is phasing out trans fats, one of the leading contributors in heart disease. Many food manufacturers have already voluntarily stopped using trans fats in the past decade, including McDonald's, Dunkin' Donuts, and Krispy Kreme, but when Rand Paul caught wind of the matter he warned fellow Americans that the government is in fact coming after our doughnuts. "I say we should line every one of them up. I want to see how skinny or how fat the FDA agents are that are making the rules on this," Paul said. Classy.
Who cares: People that actually listen to Rand Paul.
Further reading: Read more about Rand Paul fighting for his right to eat donuts here.

Heston Blumenthal comes to Heathrow airport

What happened: Heston Blumenthal, the British chef behind the Michelin-starred restaurant The Fat Duck, is opening his first ever airport restaurant at Heathrow's Terminal 2. The restaurant will offer British favorites, like fish and chips, pizza and hamburgers, and everything will be served in under 11 minutes.
Who cares: Anyone who has an upcoming layover at Heathrow airport.
Further reading: The Daily Mail's got the full scoop here.

Dominique Ansel unleases cronut pre-order system

What happened: With no end in sight for Cronut mania, Dominique Ansel has unveiled the Cronut pre-order system. Now, patrons can order up to six Cronuts from the comfort of their computer to be picked up the following week. Start planning accordingly. You can preorder Cronuts here, every Monday at 11 am.
Who cares: Cronut fans, Spring Street residents
Further reading: Read our defense of the Cronut.

Osaka teacher drugs colleagues with cream puffs

What happened: Atsuko Nakaoka, a 60-year-old teaching assistant from Osaka, has been charged for drugging her coworkers with sleep medication-filled pastries for a decade. Once a year, unsuspecting teachers at Kamikita Elementary School, where Nakaoka worked, would wake up in the hospital after consuming the sweets. Nakaoka responded to the charges by saying, “I had a problem with their teaching methods. It really got to me, and I thought it would be better if they weren’t around.”
Who cares: People that are suspicious of their coworkers. The women who were drugged with desserts.
Further reading: Read the full report of the bitter teacher here.

Ex-McDonald's employee facing jail time for spitting in cop's food

What happened: Former McDonald’s employee Dalton Ursulean is facing prison time for spitting in a uniformed police officer’s food. This isn’t the first time the Iron Mountain, Mich. resident has had a run in with the law—Ursulean has previously been convicted of three felonies and six misdemeanors, and, if convicted, he could face up to ten years behind bars. Not only did he spit in the officer’s snack wrap, he was also apparently unaware that he carries hepatitis C.
Who cares: McDonald's customers, police officers, restaurant workers having a bad day
Further reading: Watch this video, in which Ursulean's former McDonald's coworker testifies against him.

Cherry Bombe to host food conference in 2014 focusing on women in the food industry

What happened: By now, everyone and their mother has heard about Time Magazine’s infamous "The Gods of Food" issue. Considering the responses of female chefs and this pie chart comparing men and women in the food industry, everyone seems to have an opinion on the matter. Kerry Diamond, the editorial director of the indie food magazine Cherry Bombe, has just announced that the publication will hold their first-ever food conference in March 2014. Staying in tune with the magazine's mantra, the conference will focus on women in the food industry. Apparently, after seeing Eater’s interview with editor Howard Chua-Eoan, who wrote "The Gods of Food" piece, the Cherry Bombe team was inspired to hold the conference a year earlier than originally planned.
Who cares: Female chefs, females who aren't chefs, Cherry Bombe subscribers
Further reading: Read Eater'sinterview with "Gods of Food" editor Howard Chua-Eoan.

Brangelina's rosé gets high marks in Wine Spectator

What happened:Wine Spectator just unveiled their "Top 100 Wines" of the the year list. Ranking number one for rosé is Brand and Angelina's Miraval Rosé from their Château Miraval vineyard in Provence, France. Wine Spectator describes the wine as “refined and elegant, offering pure and concentrated flavors of dried red berry, tangerine and melon. The focused finish features flint and spice notes, with a hint of cream.” Earlier this year, Joe Bastianich declared in Vanity Fair that the power couple had created a “legitimate wine.”
Who cares: Winos, Team Jolie supporters
Further reading: Check out Joe Bastianich's full review of Miraval Rosé for Vanity Fair.

Martha Stewart responds to #struggleplate critiques on Twitter

What happened: Published author, TV personality, former convict, and all-around lifestyle guru—is there anything Martha Stewart can’t do? Apparently, the domestic Goddess can't tweet a decent food photo. Lately, the aesthetically inclined entrepreneur has been tweeting up a storm of grotesque food photos from her dinners out. Her followers have been less than kind, saying things like, “That soup pic looks like a toilet bowl after an attack of intestinal flu,” and “better than prison food?” Martha responded by tweeting, “Now if any one thinks this is a bad photo you are ridiculous. Tartuffi bianchi and fettuccine at le cirque.” It may be Le Cirque, but it still looks like dog food.
Who cares: The poor souls that puruse Martha's twitter.
Further reading: If you dare, check out Martha's twitter pics here.

SantaCon is dead

What happened: Now, here’s something to be thankful for this holiday season. SantaCon, the dreaded day where 20-something obliterated Midtown residents take over the city, is finally coming to an end. Although SantaCon started in the name of charity, it’s gained a reputation as an excuse to act like a drunk buffoon. According to DNAinfo, “the NYPD’s Midtown North Precinct sent letters to about 30 bars, clubs and lounges in Midtown and Hell’s Kitchen earlier this month, urging the nightspots not to welcome participants in the annual daylong bar crawl for hundreds of bearded, red-and-white-clad revelers.”
Who cares: Anyone who has ever encountered the drunken fools of SantaCon
Further reading: Read more about city resident's feelings on SantaCon here, and read about our hatred of SantaCon while you're at it.

22 Tons of Fake Beef Were Seized in China

What happened: This week, police in Xi’an province reported that they had found and seized more than 22 tons of fake beef at a local factory. Get this: the “beef” was actually made from pork (which is considerably cheaper than beef) that had been treated with chemicals including paraffin wax and industrial salts to make it look like it came from a cow.
Who cares: The factory sold more than 1,500 kilos (3,000 pounds) of the fake beef to local markets at around 25 to 33 yuan ($4 or $5) per kilo. I'd be pissed. Also, this makes us wonder what impostor foods we might be eating, which in turn makes us very, very uncomfortable.
Further reading: Read the full, stomach-churning report here.

Funny Or Die Made A 'Chipotle' Scarcrow Ad Parody

What happened: Comedy site Funny or Die made a parody of the animated Chipotle anti-industrial farming advertisement. The parody video poked fun at Chipotle’s obvious attempt to market themselves as “the good guys” and get customers to engage with the brand. Revised song lyrics include the following lines: “Come with us, and you’ll be in a world of pure imagination. With an ad made for you, by a giant corporation…This is just a way to advertise.”
Who cares: Chipotle—as well as those who watched the Scarecrow video and felt genuinely "touched"—might be a little red in the cheeks.
Further reading: Watch the Funny or Die video above, and read more about Chipotle's effective marketing gimmick here.

Hipsters in Brooklyn Tried to Make 'Silent Dining' a Thing

What happened: Eat, a restaurant in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, served a group of 17 people a $40, four-course dinner in 90 minutes of complete and total silence on Sunday night. According to the Wall Street Journal, diners were not allowed to talk at all, and if they did, were asked to eat the rest of the meal outside on a bench.
Who cares: Ok, first there was the "bringing babies into bars" trend, then there was "hangover yoga," and now there's this. Spare us, please. We think dinnertime conversation adds to a meal—unless, that is, you detest the pretentious, trend-humping "creative types" you're eating with.
Further reading: Here's the WSJ's full story about the silent supper. It's all pretty absurd.

Paula Deen Made Her First Public Appearance Since The Whole Racism Debacle

What happened: Deen appeared at the Metro Cooking and Entertainment Show in Houston, Texas, last weekend, where she was met with a standing ovation from the audience. The former Food Network star began sobbing with a tissue in hand at the reception, and muttered "These are tears of joy, y'all." This was Paula's first public appearance in three months.
Who cares: The people of Texas who showed love and support for Paula. And Paula, who has discovered that she can, in fact, come out of hiding without people throwing tomatoes and/or stoning her.
Further reading: Check out the video above and a full recap of the appearance here.

Abusive Dunkin Donuts Customer Flips the F**k Out

What happened: Former commercial actress Taylor Chapman goes from indignant to enraged to batshit after a Dunkin' Donuts employee politely declines to comp Chapman a Strawberry Coolatta (and a whole lot of other stuff) after not giving Chapman a receipt. Even though Chapman herself filmed the whole thing, she (shockingly) ends up being the one who looks bad.
Who cares: Everyone, because this is the Internet and schadenfreude directed at entitled, delusional whackjobs is its lifeblood.
Further reading: Here's a priceless interview of Ludacris Chapman conducted a few years ago. Other than that, the video's all you really need.

Waffle House Sues 450-Pound Rapper

What happened: Jelly Roll, a heavyset white rapper from Tennessee, is being sued by Waffle House after releasing a 21-track mixtape titled Whiskey, Weed & Waffle House, featuring the company's logo on its cover alongside a bottle of Crown Royal and a marijuana leaf. Waffle House's legal firm sent Jason "Jellyroll" DeFord a cease and desist for infringing on the corporate trademark.
Who cares: Has it become a crime to make art about your undying love for a fast food chain? Isn't this our constitutional right as American citizens? Plus, we feel bad for the bullied Jelly Roll—according to Gawker, "because of the cease-and-desist, he's had to scrap a video he paid to shoot and edit at a Nashville Waffle House, rename the digital version of the mixtape Whiskey Weed & Women, and re-make the cover art."
Further reading:Hip Hop Wired, Gawker

Marco Pierre White Sues Former Business Partners

What happened: Celebrity chef Marco Pierre White claims he never received the £174,000 he's owed by two former business partners after the June 2012 sale of his restaurant Marco Pierre White's Yew Tree Inn. Said partners, meanwhile, claim White himself asked not to be granted shares in the restaurant until after his ongoing divorce went through.
Who cares: Besides Pierre White, his partners, and his ex-wife, anyone who enjoys some celebrity chef gossip now and again should fully enjoy this one.
Further reading: The Daily Mail's full rundown on the he-said, he-said.

What happened: Former high-ranking Goldman Sachs executive Andrew Cader took a loan out from Goldman Sachs, and pledged 15,000 bottles of Burgundy and Bordeaux as collateral. Bloomberg reports that "the collection cited in the filing had an estimated market value in the low-seven-digit dollar range."
Who cares: Unbeknownst to some, backing a loan with fancy wine is a common practice. But high end wine as an asset class has been prone to fraud, since it's apparently ridiculously easy to counterfeit wine.
Further reading: Bloomberg, Grub Street

Critic Brett Anderson Returns to the Times-Picayune

What happened: Brett Anderson, the Times-Picayune's restaurant critic, was fired from the New Orleans paper a year ago. They actually wanted to rehire him back fairly quickly thanks to an effective backlash, but by then Anderson had taken a year-long fellowship at Harvard. Now he's officially back at the Times-Picayune, starting this fall.
Who cares: Anyone looking for some good news on the print media/food writing front should be thrilled with Andersons return—it's in short supply since Robert Sietsema was canned by the Village Voice a few weeks ago.
Further reading: The official Times-Picayune announcement.

Bourdain, David Simon Feud Over Cronuts

What happened: Everyone’s favorite author-chef Anthony Bourdain guest hosted “Piers Morgan Live” Thursday night on CNN and brought the thunder by inviting Dominique Ansel, creator of the Cronut, to join him on the show. He also invited Wire and Treme creator David Simon and journalist David Carr onto the show, and failed to give the two Davids a Cronut. Simon penned a full account of the injustice on his website, proclaiming that Bourdain had betrayed him and Mr. Carr. Obviously, a Twitter/blogging battle between Bourdain, Simon, and Carr subsequently broke out, and Bourdain posted a picture of Mario Batali and Eric Ripert enjoying whole cronuts. That bastard.
Who cares: David Simon, David Carr, and any person who has ever been denied a cronut after being promised one.
Further reading: Read our full account of the story and watch the Piers Morgan Live episode here.

Daniel Gets Demoted from Four Stars to Three

What happened:New York Times restaurant critic Pete Wells gave Upper East Side institution Daniel three stars in his review this week, knocking the restaurant from its original four stars on the grounds that it doesn't provide equally stellar service to all its customers. Wells brought his point home with the grade-A gimmick of enlisting a colleague to eat at the same time he did. Unsurprisingly, the staff didn't try as hard to impress the guy who they didn't know was affiliated with the NYT.Who cares: All of food media and scores of newly validated and/or outraged Daniel customers.
Further reading:Pete Wells's Twitter feed, currently chock-full of retweeted responses both positive and negative.

Williamsburg Restauranteur Colin Devlin Found Dead In PA

What happened: Colin Devlin, the man behind Brooklyn's DuMont and DuMont Burger, went missing Wednesday afternoon after a business meeting. Devlin was supposedly distraught after being denied a loan due to his company's financial troubles, and fled to a family home in Pennsylvania where he kept a gun in a safe. He texted his wife Wednesday night, telling her to take care of their kids. She informed the police, and on Thursday afternoon his body was found in Chestnut Hill Church Cemetery. The cause was reported to be a self-inflicted gun shot wound. Devlin was 42 years old.
Who cares: The food world is stunned by this tragic news. Williamsburg remembers the brilliance of Devlin through his restaurants.
Further reading:Here’s a full account of what happened over at The Wall Street Journal.

Top Chef Masters Season 5 Premieres

What happened: Season five of Top Chef Masters premiered Wednesday night on Bravo TV and looked more like culinary Fear Factor than anything else. This season features double the cast—13 chefs along with their hand-picked sous-chefs. The first bomb that dropped in the premiere was the news that the sous-chefs will not be working alongside their bosses, but rather, in their own competition against one another that will be aired each week on BravoTV.com. The Top Chefs' first assignment of the season was to cook a family style meal for a troupe of skydivers and gain an extra hour of prep if they agreed to jump out of a plane.
Who cares: People who are addicted to reality TV, and those sorry ass chefs who jumped out of the plane.
Further reading: Read our full recap of the show, and watch the Battle of the Sous Chefs episode over at BravoTV.com.

The Press Got Their First Taste of Umami Burger NYC, Shared Photos with Plebeians

What happened: The first location of the L.A.-based Umami Burger chain will open in Greenwich Village this Monday, July 29th at 11am. The press got their first taste at the NYC location’s press event last Tuesday night, where Umami exposed NYC-only menu items like the Umami French Dip ($13) and the 5 spice duck burger ($15).
Who cares: Everyone who is obsessed with burgers and buzzy NYC restaurant openings. Oh, and L.A. transplants.Further reading:Read Everything You Need to Know About Umami Burger NYC on First We Feast.

Paula Deen Turns Out to Be More Than Slightly Racist

What happened: The National Enquirer released some of the details from a former employee's lawsuit against Deen and her brother, accusing her of planning a Civil War-themed wedding with an all-black waitstaff whom she referred to as "slaves," using the N-word repeatedly. During a deposition, Paula admitted to using racial slurs. Then the hashtags #PaulasBestRecipes and #PaulaDeenApologyBingo were born, Paula released a series of strange apology videos, and the Food Network dropped Ms. Deen from the roster.
Who cares: Most people who think racism is bad, which is to say most people. Her fans are also not happy.
Further reading: The #PaulasBestDishes hashtag on Twitter is perhaps the best possible response to the whole situation, combining justified rage and disgust with biting humor.

Starbucks to Put Calorie Counts on Menus Nationwide

What happened: Anticipating the FDA's mandate that large chains must delay calorie counts on their menus, Starbucks is getting ahead of the curve and posting nutritional information in stores as soon as this summer (it's already available online).
Who cares: Anyone still fooling themselves into thinking that Frappuccino is anything but a glorified milkshake.
Further reading:The Atlantic's piece on big corporations' role in making Americans healthier, a trend Starbucks would like customers to think it's a part of.

Le Cordon Bleu Graduate Upset She's Not Making $75k a Year

What happened: Le Cordon Bleu's Pasadena campus lost a lawsuit filed by alum Annie Berkowitz and her father accusing the school of giving her false expectations of earning $75,000 a year as a pastry chef straight out of culinary school. Berkowitz was awarded $217,000 in damages for spending time and money on her degree.
Who cares: Mainly Berkowitz and Le Cordon Bleu, and also anyone who's been disappointed in the job market but didn't get 200 grand out of it.
Further reading: Our conversation with Dale Talde and a recent grad on whether culinary school's even worth it at all.

Mayor Bloomberg Announces a Citywide Composting Program

What happened: New York's outgoing mayor announced a program for recycling food waste that will save the city both energy and money by requiring that leftover food be composted rather than sent to the landfill. San Francisco and Seattle have implemented similar programs with promising results, although critics point to New York's less than stellar track record with paper and plastic recycling.
Who cares: New Yorkers, environmentalists, conservatives looking for something to be angry about.
Further reading: The city's comprehensive guide to what and how to compost.

Marco Pierre White Owes Up to £500,000 After Losing Suit

What happened: Well, that backfired: celebrity chef's Marco Pierre White's lawsuit against his former business partners, which we wrote up in this roundup a couple weeks ago, has been dismissed, and White's now responsible for covering everyone's legal expenses. That amount could add up to as much as £500,000, more than double the amount White had initially sued for.
Who cares: Now that the suit's over and done with, mostly just White.
Further reading: Here's our summary of the details of the original case.

Nigella Lawson's Husband Assaults Her in Public

What happened: In the first of this week's scandals involving a celebrity chef, British tabloid The Sunday People captured and published four photos of art collector Charles Saatchi apparently strangling his wife Nigella Lawson while the couple was eating at a London restaurant. Saatchi later took a "police caution," which allows minor offenders to offer an admission of guilt in a minor crime as an alternative to prosecution. Lawson has since been seen without her wedding ring.
Who cares: Lawson, Lawson's PR team, Saatchi, and less appropriately, hordes of tabloid readers.
Further reading: In Newsweek, Lizzie Crocker takes a look at high-profile abuse cases (including the infamous Chris Brown-Rihanna incident) and explores how the "media spin[s] personal pain.

Cronut Burger poisoning caused more than 150 people to fall ill

What happened: Over the course of this week, Toronto Public Health investigated what caused more than 150 people to fall sick after eating at the Canadian National Exhibition. Turns out, the Cronut burger served by EPIC Burger at the convention is to blame. Laboratory tests showed that samples of the Cronut burger were contaminated with staphylococcus aureus, a bacterial toxin that can cause food poisoning.
Who cares: Those poor Canadian Cronut burger eaters. Symptoms of staphylococcus aureus food poisoning include nausea, vomiting, and abdominal cramping—yuck!
Further reading: Read the full report over at The Globe and Mail.

Prince Drops Album Cover Art Featuring Dave Chappelle and Pancakes

What happened: The Purple One put out some incredible cover art last weekend for his new single Breakfast Can Wait, and started a new, amazing Twitter account. The Breakfast Can Wait cover depicts Dave Chappelle holding a plate of pancakes, taken from the 2004 Chappelle’s Show sketch. Prince tweeted out the image Friday afternoon with the simple caption “Game: Blouses.” Looks like The Artist Formerly Known As is on top of that breakfast game, on the fast track to becoming Twitter Royalty, and not too serious for a little self-parody now and again.
Who Cares: Prince fans, Dave Chappelle fans, and people who like Twitter. To put it more succinctly: the whole world.
Further reading: Start following Prince on Twitter immediately, then check out a sample of Breakfast Can Wait.

The Paula Deen Lawsuit Was Dismissed

What happened: Ms. Deen can breathe easy again and get back to frying butter. The lawsuit filed by a former employee against Deen, saying that she was racist, has been dismissed in federal court "with prejudice," meaning it cannot be filed again. Deen released a statement on Friday saying, "While this has been a difficult time for both my family and myself, I am pleased that the judge dismissed the race claims and I am looking forward to getting this behind me, now that the remaining claims have been resolved."
Who cares: Those who subscribe to the We Support Paula Deen Facebook page are peeing themselves, and we're sure Paula's relieved as well. Although, you have to think that maybe her image has been tarnished forever, despite the lawsuit being dismissed.
Further reading: Read more about the dismissal here.

Giada De Laurentiis Reveals She Will Be Opening a Restaurant in Las Vegas

What happened: The Gansevoort Las Vegas confirmed that Giada will be opening a restaurant in the hotel in early 2014. The news first broke with an accidental leak on The Gansevoort's website. Giada said that she has had other offers before but that she had "never found the right spot," reports Eater.
Who cares: We are positive that swarms of tourists in Las Vegas will bum rush Giada's, or whatever the hell the restaurant is going to be called. They will relish Giada's plates of chicken fettucine and SPAH-GITT-EEE bolognese.
Further reading: Eater has the full story here.

The NYTimes Hired a Cat Critic Named Mittens

What happened:The New York Times has apparently employed a cat critic, Mittens, to review pet food. An ad for cat food written in the style of a restaurant review ran in the New York Times’ dining section on Wednesday. First We Feast pup critic Oscar the Schnoodle was not happy when he heard that the acerbic American Shorthair was trying to jack his swagger.
Who cares: Oscar is simply infuriated. Regardless, the pup can’t deny that calling lobster fra diavolo “‘fra devoid’ of flavor”—as Mittens did in her review—is witty and extremely punny.
Further reading: Check out the cat critic's review here and decide for yourself if she's the real deal.

Harvard Annuonced The Lineup for Its 2013 Science and Cooking Lecture Series

What happened: The annual lecture series, which is acollaboration between eminent Harvard researchers and world-class chefs, will begin September 9th. The lineup includes a lecture on science and cooking by Harold McGee and Dave Arnold (of East Village cocktail bar Booker & Dax and the French Culinary Institute), a sous-vide primer with Jordi Roca (whose restaurant El Celler de Can Roca is currently ranked #1 in the world), and a lecture on the evolution of culinary theory by Ferran Adrià.
Who cares: People who live in or near Cambridge and food nerds around the world.
Further Reading: See the full lineup on Harvard's website.

Starbucks gift cards worth $400 selling for thousands on Ebay

What happened: Last week, Starbucks unleashed 1,000 of their limited-edition rose metal gift cards on Gilt.com. The cards, which have $400 worth of Starbucks credit and automatically enrolls the card carrier in Gold-level membership status, sold out instantly on the site for a pretty $450. Now, people are reselling the metal cards on Ebay $2,000. More surprisingly, this hasn’t been a one-time thing; at the moment over 15 cards are listed.
Who cares: Starbucks fiends, people concerned with American consumerism
Further reading: Check out the exorbitant amounts people are bidding here.

Philly blog publisher asks restaurant for free Christmas dinner

What happened: Sarah Lockard, the CEO and Publisher of AroundMainLine.com, a Philadelphia based lifestyle site, was recently called out by Philadelphia Magazine for trying to get a free Christmas Eve dinner in return for her services. The exchange would include a few Facebook posts, Instagram photos, and inclusion in her monthly newsletter for a fully compensated dinner and drinks for five. Lockard does say they will tip the server accordingly, so there’s that.
Who cares: Philadelphia restaurateurs, journalists with integrity, anyone affiliated with AroundMainLine.com
Further reading: See the email Lockard sent here.

New study shows $1.50 per day is what separates a healthy and an unhealthy diet

What happened: Can $1.50 really be all that separates a healthy diet from an unhealthy one? Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health just unveiled a recent study saying just that. Dr. Mozaffarian and his team researched 27 studies from 10 different developed countries and found that across the board, $1.50 was the difference in obtaining healthier food options.
Who cares: Low income families, junk food fiends
Further reading: Read the full story here.

Prepare yourself for the #SrirachaApocalypse

What happened: Say it ain’t so! The California Department of Health is putting a 30-day hold on Huy Fong’s Sriracha production. It all started back in the fall when residents who lived near the factory in Irwindale, California began complaining of burning eyes and headaches from the odors coming from the plant that produces Sriracha. In even more bad news, Sriracha has an expiration date so stocking up won’t help save your quest for spice.
Who cares: Everyone. Who doesn't like Sriracha?
Further reading: Check out the best tweets about #SrirachaApocalypse here.

Massive layoffs at Martha Stewart

What happened: It’s another blow for the print industry. On Thursday, Martha Stewart fired 100 employees from Martha Sewart Living Omnimedia, estimated to around 25% of the staff. The news comes after Daniel Dienst was appointment CEO in October who had hinted at such cutbacks.
Who cares: Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia staff, aspiring journalists, freelancers, people who still think print isn't dead
Further reading: Read the full report here.

FDA to limit antibiotics in livestock

What happened: Good news for everyone: The Food and Drug Administration has just announced plans to reduce the amount of antibiotics used in meat. Former F.D.A. commissioner, David Kessler, told the New York Times, “This is the first significant step in dealing with this important public health concern in 20 years. No one should underestimate how big a lift this has been in changing widespread and long entrenched industry practices.”
Who cares: Carnivores
Further reading: See the New York Timesreport here.

Restaurant Critic Adam Platt Was Booted from ZZ's Clam Bar in NYC

What happened: Amidst an attempt to review ZZ's, Platt unexpectedly joined the ranks of food critics who've been kicked out of restaurants, according to his tweet Wednesday. Platt says he was just minding his own business before being bounced out, but the full extent of critic-restaurateur drama that was bubbling up that night will probably remain a mystery. Who cares: @PlattyPants' Twitter followers, who are probably crossing their fingers for more feisty Platt tweets to pop up over this debacle.
Further reading: Check out other critics that can stand with Platt in bounced-out solidarity.

$25K Worth of Pappy Was Stolen from Buffalo Trace Distillery

What happened: Somebody got their hands on more than 200 bottles of Pappy Van Winkle, the unicorn of bourbon. No doubt, they resorted to theft because Pappy costs $130 a pop and is impossible to find even if you could afford it. The thieves broke into the Old Rip Van Winkle Distillery in Frankfort, Kentucky and by now are either a drunken stupor or making a killing on the black market.
Who cares: People with the last name Van Winkle; jealous, classy drunks everywhere
Further reading: Find out more about Pappy, the man and the drank.

18-Foot Oarfish Was Discovered Off The Coast of California

What happened: A marine scientist found a fish carcass at the bottom of the ocean while snorkeling. But it wasn't just any carcass, it was a super-long 18-foot oarfish carcass. Basically, this made for a lot of terrifying pictures of people posing next to a distubringly large dead fish.
Who cares: People who believe in sea monsters are having an "I told you so moment" right now.
Further reading: Learn all you need to know about freaky-long fish here.

What happened: Patrice Wilson, of Rebecca Black "Friday" fame (or infamy), strikes again. This time he's given us the gift of an off-putting video conglomerate of bad lyrics, racial stereotypes, freaky panda costumes, and a slew of other nonsensical happenings.
Who cares: Literally everyone with computer access
Further reading: Relive it in it's full glory here

A Bathroom-Themed Restaurant Opened in L.A.

What happened: Magic Restroom Cafe, America's first bathroom-themed eatery, soft opened last weekend in L.A.'s City of Industry. "The cafe lobby is adorned with both urinals and toilets, and the prime tables have showerheads fitted on the adjoining wall. Restaurant staff encourages diners to pose with all bathroom facilities," reports Eater LA.
Who cares: Bon App's Andrew Knowlton, who might be second guessing his 10 best restaurant picks.
Further reading: Eater LA has the full toilet restaurant coverage here.

Graffiti Artist Banksy Unleashed Ronald McDonald Statue on NYC

What happened: The ever-subtle Banksy went live action for the latest stunt of his NYC residency: a statue of Ronald McDonald getting a shoe shine from a real, live guy. You know, this represents capitalism, corporate America, and shit. The installation is going to be making appearances in front of McDonald's locations in different boroughs of NYC for a week.
Who cares: McDonald's PR team, who are trying to decide if all publicity is good publicity
Further reading: Watch videos of the piece in action throughout the city on Gothamist.

PYT Philly Made a Deep-Fried Twinkie Burger

What happened: Those mad scientists at PYT in Philadelphia, leaders of the anti-bun war, gave us the most heart-stopping creation yet. Two deep-fried Twinkies house a pork belly patty, American cheese, and bacon. The combination already has us breathing heavy.
Who cares: State fair enthusiasts, burger bun haters, people with no morals or inhibitions
Further reading: Check out PYT's previous abominations, the lasagna bun burger and the spaghetti burger.

Toronto Woman Serial Dates to Get Free Meals

What happened: Actress, foodie, and single lady Erin Wotherspoon is roping men into paying for fancy meals via online dating websites. Wotherspoon is hoping to visit every Toronto restaurant on her list and blog about it along the way.
Who cares: Gold diggers, desperate Canadian dudes, RedditFurther reading: Check out her semi-infuriating blog here. Warning: very blurry, heavily edited food photos ahead.

Obama Goes to Junior's Cheesecake, Hipsters Take Offense

What happened: Obama came to Brooklyn last Saturday, and it was not simply to try the small-batch roasted coffee. He visited to speak with students at P-TECH. He reportedly told students, “When I was living here, Brooklyn was cool, but not this cool.” The President visited Junior’s for two of their famous cheesecakes afterwards with Bill de Blasio.
Who cares: Local Brooklynites and news outlets took to Twitter to voice their opinions on the subject. Apparently, they wished Obama experienced the real gems of Brooklyn’s artisanal food revolution, instead of some “popular, overrated tourist food spot.”
Further reading: Here's where Obama should've gone if he wanted to experience Brooklyn the right way.

City Sues Sriracha Factory Over Noxious Chili Fumes

What happened: In the city of Irwindale, in Los Angeles County, lies the Sriracha (“Rooster Sauce”) production facilities. Irwindale residents were “complaining of burning eyes, irritated throats, and headaches caused by a powerful, painful odor,” emanating from the Sriracha factory, reports the L.A. Times. These complaints resulted in a lawsuit against Sriracha maker Huy Fong Foods filed by city attorneys on Monday.
Who cares: Living near the Sriracha factory isn't as awesome as it sounds #dreamsruined
Further reading: L.A. Times has the full, upsetting story right here

Yelpers Want Off the "Slaveship," Sue Yelp

What happened: A group of Yelpers in California have filed a class action lawsuit against Yelp, claiming that they are being treated as unpaid employees, and deserve compensation for their reviews, as well as benefits and reimbursement for the reviews they’ve already published on the site. They argue that Yelp “could not exist, nor make its enormous returns, without its domination and control over non-wage writers.” Well, yeah, but that’s kind of the point of Yelp, right?
Who cares: Where is the line drawn between user-generated content and professional writing?
Further reading: We've got more details on the story, and you can read the full lawsuit right here.

Radio Free Asia reports on "Gutter Oil" black market

What happened: Chinese experts estimate that one-tenth of Chinese cooking oil is gutter oil, which has been found to contain carcinogens and other toxins harmful to humans. “Enterprising men and women will go through dumpsters, trash bins, gutters, and even sewers, scooping out liquid or solid refuse that contains used oil or animal parts. Then they process that into cooking oil, which they sell at below-market rates to food vendors who use it to cook food that can make you extremely sick,” The Washington Post reports.
Who cares: Um, anyone who has eaten food from street vendors or cheap restaurants in China.
Further reading: Watch the video above and head over to The Washington Post for more of the story.

Padma Lakshmi Disses Product Placement

What happened: In a roundtable with other notable reality television hosts, including Heidi Klum and Gordon Ramsay, Top Chef's Padma Lakshmi obliquely called blatant product placement the "crappy part" of the job, saying she's "saddled or slammed" with making "that shit sound natural."
Who cares: Fans interested in what's really going through Padma's mind every time she hypes Glad trash bags.
Further reading: Watch Bloomberg's forthcoming Titans at the Table feature, another look behind the scenes of the food world starring chefs including Padma's Top Chef colleague Tom Colicchio.

Twinkies Will Return To Shelves July 15th

What happened: Hostess will have Twinkies, Ho Hos, and other sugary delights back on supermarket and convenience store shelves by July 15th. Although Hostess promises the nostalgic snacks will taste the same as before, Hostess CupCakes will be made with dark cocoa instead of milk chocolate.
Who cares: Anywone who ate Hostess foods as a child, or likes finger-shaped sponge cake with white synthetic cream filling.
Further reading:USA Todayreports on the epic comeback.

Chez Panisse Reopens

What happened: Alice Waters's legendary Berkeley restaurant, shuttered by fire damage for over three months, finally opened its doors again on Monday night. Waters also took the opportunity to do some remodeling, including the addition of a salvaged-redwood alcove.
Who cares: The die-hard foodies who've been into locally sourced produce since before you even heard the name "Michael Pollan."
Further reading:Berkeleyside's look at the newly renovated space.

Caesar's, Walmart, and Just About Everyone Else Cuts Ties with Paula Deen

What happened: Paula Deen was hemorrhaging major sponsors this week in the fallout from the N-word controversy: the Caesar's casino chain will shutter four restaurants it operates with Deen's name attached, and Walmart—the nation's largest retailer—will no longer carry any of Deen's products. Other big names that have cut ties with the shamed celeb chef include QVC, Target, and Ballantine Books. There are still a handful of companies standing by her, but they're not the big ones.
Who cares: Deen's fans, who took to Walmart's Facebook page in droves to voice their disapproval.
Further reading: Our roundup of the most hilariously over-the-top Walmart posts. Our top pick: ""You drop Paula Dean for something she said years ago but yet you buy products from Communist China. That is hyprocritical."

New York Court Rules Starbucks Baristas To Share Tips With Shift Managers

What happened: On Wednesday, New York's court ruled that Starbucks baristas are required to share their tips with shift supervisors. This ruling could change the way tips are divvied up at restaurants and coffee shops throughout New York. The court was responding to two lawsuits questioning Starbucks' tip sharing practices, and in the end supported the companies views.
Who cares: Starbucks employees, baristas, and coffee shop supervisers throughout New York state.
Further reading: Huffington Post's take on the New York court ruling.

2 Chainz Released His #MEALTIME Cookbook

What happened: Chainz released a cookbook alongside his sophomore album, B.O.A.T.S. II: #METIME, on Tuesday. The 26-page tome includes tasty-sounding recipes like Teriyaki Salmon, Sautéed Asparagus with “ME TIME” Sauce, and Crab Cakes with Mango Salsa. The recipe instructions in the cookbook are hilarious: 2 Chainz instructs you to “put on your Versace apron” before getting started on the Teriyaki Salmon.Who cares: People who like to sing along to Beautiful Pain while eating homemade fried chicken.
Further reading: Check out a preview of Chainz's epic #MEALTIME cookbook.

Chef Marcus Samuelsson replaced Brian Malarkey On ABC's The Taste

What happened: On Tuesday, The Chew revealed that the final judging panel slot on The Taste’s second season had been filled by chef Marcus Samuelsson. The NYC-based chef will join Nigella Lawson, Anthony Bourdain, and Ludo Lefebvre to mentor the competition.
Who cares: First of all, we were shocked when we heard The Taste was even coming back for a second season. Maybe you like the show, or maybe you have better things to watch, like Breaking Bad. Also, Brian Malarkey's probably a little sad his contract wasn't renewed.
Further reading: Read the full story and the press release here.

Shake Shack Announces Cronut Hole Concrete

What happened: Shake Shack is about to debut a “Cronut hole concrete” for one day only at its Madison Square Garden location on Tuesday, September 17th. The blended butter caramel frozen custard is blended with three cinnamon sugar Cronut holes, and has a bonus Cronut hole on top.
Who cares: If you are serious about getting your hands on a Cronut hole concrete, listen up: The concrete will sell for $4.50, and there’s a limit of two per person. There will only be 1,000 special concretes available starting at 10:00am, so we figure you should start lining up at least one week before.
Further reading: Read more about the much hyped dessert here.

Time Inc. Acquires Food & Wine Magazine

What happened: Time Inc., the largest magazine publisher in the U.S., acquired American Express’ publishing arm, which includes publications such as Food & Wine and Travel + Leisure. The deal is expected to close Oct. 1.
Who cares: We are one of many avid readers of Food & Wine, and we'd hate to see the publication lose any of its charm or stop having quality content and recipes. But who knows, Time Inc. could end up improving the magazine as a whole. Also, AmEx publishing employees are probably a little on the edge right now.
Further reading: Adage has the full story here.

Ferran Adrià Launched the HackingBullipedia Contest

What happened: "How can one discover and visu­al­ize the geo­graph­i­cal and time dis­tri­b­u­tion of a recipe?' and "How can you define visu­al­iza­tion tech­niques for the con­tents of Bul­li­pedia that work well across platforms?" are just a couple questions chef Ferran Adrià is asking for an international contest he launched to help the expansion of his massive culinary wiki Bullipedia. Eater reports that Adrià has invited "creative and talented people" to submit "design proposals, tools, technologies and applications" that will improve Bullipedia. The contest is called HackingBullipedia.
Who cares: If you're an interested design student or professional, you'll be happy to know the contest is open to the public, and proposals are due October 30.
Further reading: Eater has the full details here.

Vegans Petitoned Starbucks About The Non-Veganness of Its Pumpkin Spice Latte

What happened: A petition on Change.org condemned the coffee chain for not having a vegan option for Starbucks' cult seasonal offering, the Pumpkin Spice Latte. The pumpkin latte is made with condensed milk, and the vegans think this is "a total bummer." The petition also accuses baristas of being unaware that the drink mix contains dairy.
Who cares: Vegans, lactards, Starbucks, and literally no one else.
Further reading: Read more about the vegan battle here.

Critic Adam Platt revealed his identity on the cover of New York Magazine

What happened: Plattypants—a.k.a. Adam Platt, New York Magazine’s restaurant critic—shed his anonymity on the cover of the magazine. For the three New York restaurateurs who didn’t already know what he looked like, the news may come as a bit of relief. Accompanying his photo, Platt penned an essay on why he finally shed his disguise, citing that even the most over-the-top treatment won’t cover up bad food.
Who cares: The few New York City restauranteurs who didn't already know what he looks like, anyone working in food media, first time hosts/hostesses
Further reading: Read the full story here.

A Pret A Manger customer found a dead frog in her salad

What happened: An employee at The Wall Street Journal was in for a rude awakening when she found a whole dead frog in her nicoise salad from Pret-a-Manger. The customer was quite shaken by the experience—and rightfully so. Her colleague, Kathryn Laurie, snapped a photo of the frog on Instagram which has so far been liked 163 times. A rep for Pret-a-Manger issued the following statement: "At Pret A Manger, we take issues like this very seriously. Our lettuce is sourced from farms that do not use any pesticides on its produce, therefore organic matter does very rarely manage to pass through our production process. We are currently looking into this issue to make every effort that this does not happen again."
Who cares: People whose new year's resolutions include eating more salad
Further reading: Click over to see what else Pret A Manger had to say on the matter.

What happened: The president of Tom Colicchio's sandwich chain ‘Wichcraft just released a statement that from August to October, the payment systems at 16 locations in New York and San Francisco were hacked. There’s no word on why the company waited over three months to tell customers about the incident, but according to the letter steps have been taken to secure the system. Names, credit card numbers, security codes, and expiration dates were all stolen, so if you’re one of the thousands of people that fulfilled a slow roasted Berkshire pork sandwich craving between August and October, keep an eye on your bank account.
Who cares: Anyone who ate at 'Wichcraft from August to October, aspiring hackers, Tom Colicchio
Further reading: Read the letter from 'Wichcraft president Jeffrey Zurofsky here.

Vending machines required to include calorie information in 2015

What happened: A new law which is part of President Obama’s healthcare overhaul will require all vending machines in the country to display calorie information for the products carried, come 2015. It’s estimated that it will cost the vending machine industry $25 million dollars to implement the information, but the FDA is confident it will result in people making healthier decisions when it comes to snack food.
Who cares: Calorie counters, people living in food deserts who buy their lunch from vending machines
Further reading: Check out what civilians and vending machine ownersthink of the new law.

Virginia restaurateur launches site for gun and food lovers

What happened: Gun slingers, rejoice! Bryan Crosswhite, the owner of The Cajun Experience in Virginia, has just launched a new Zagat-style website that will catalogue all the restaurants in America that allow guns. The website heading says the site is for “people supporting businesses that support the 2nd amendment.” So far, ten restaurants are on the list.
Who cares: Gun lovers, anyone who thinks the 2nd amendment is outdated
Further reading: You can check out the website—and register your restaurant—here.

British man spent £1,000 at Nando's in order to win free meals for life only to find out the competition had ended

What happened: Christopher Poole loves Nando’s, the South African fast-casual chicken restaurant, so much that he tried winning the restaurant’s coveted ‘black card.’ The black card guarantees free food for life if you can prove you’ve eaten at every Nando’s location in the world. The chain has over 1,031 locations in 30 countries on five continents. Poole had eaten at 85 locations when he found out the promotion ended two years ago. But, the good guys over at Nando’s HQ read about Poole’s quest and have agreed to honor the promotion if he can indeed eat at all the restaurants.
Who cares: Nando's fans, people that don't read the fine print on promotions, Chrisopher Poole's wallet
Further reading: Read quotes like this from Christopher Poole like, "I've been invited on about 10 Nan-dates so far, and it's great to meet new people who love their food as much as I do," and more at The Daily Mail.

Florida man tries to trade gator for beer

What happened: This sounds like the start of a bad joke. A Miami man walked into a convenience store carrying a live 4-foot alligator which he attempted to trade for a 12 pack of Corona. Instead of accepting the barter, the employee on hand called the police. Only in Florida?
Who cares: Anyone contemplating what to do with their pet alligator, Florida law enforcement
Further reading: Watch a video of the gator lover above.

Starbucks customers pay it forward—with 73 orders

What happened: Customers at a Starbucks drive-thru in Reno, Nevada got a nice surprise this week when they were informed that the previous car in line had paid for their coffee. The good people of Reno kept up the chain for a total of 73 orders. We wonder if anyone used their newly minted rose metal gift cards for the good deed.
Who cares: Starbucks customers, good samaritans, fans the movie Pay It Forward
Further reading: See a photo of the barista tallying up the cars here.

Nashville Morton's in hot water for making cancer patient remove beanie while dining

What happened: While dining at a Morton’s steakhouse in Nashville, a cancer patient going through chemotherapy was asked to remove his beanie to adhere to the restaurant’s dresscode. The man did end up removing the hat, but the aftermath was quite ugly. So far, 44 one star reviews have been posted to Yelp bashing Morton’s and the way they handled the situation. In an effort to cover up their mistake, the restaurant has now agreed to donate $2,000 to St. Jude’s.
Who cares: People contemplating eating at Morton's, steakhouse lovers, Nashville residents
Further reading: See the Yelp reviews here.

Horse slaughterhouses now allowed to operate in three states

What happened: A federal appeals court has removed the ban on horse slaughter stateside. Slaughterhouses in New Mexico, Missouri, and Iowa may be the first states to start exporting the meat for human consumption, and for animal feed. Though animal rights activists will surely be upset, AP reports that the overpopulation of domestic horses results in their suffering and starvation.
Who cares: Animal rights activists, Ikea executives, Hugue Dufour and Sarah Obraitis of M.Wells Steakhouse
Further reading: Read the full report here.

OpenTable and Apple rush to complete first all inclusive reservation and ordering system

What happened: Two weeks ago, Apple filed a patent to create their own reservation and ordering system. The system would also include features like wait time management, recommendations on dishes for those with allergies, and alerts directly to your phone. Though it may or may not be in response to Apple’s big news, OpenTable just announced that they would be paying $11.5 in cash to Quickcue to develop a similar technology.
Who cares: Anyone that goes out to eat
Further reading: Read more about the technology here.

Whole Foods dropping Chobani in 2014

What happened: Whole Foods announced this week that come 2014, the company will no longer carry Chobani yogurt in their stores. Now, it’s nothing against Chobani per say, but Whole Foods has vowed to eliminate all products that contain GMO ingredients by 2018. Greek yogurt competitor Fage will however remain in stores.
Who cares: Team Chobani supporters, anti-GMO groups
Further reading: Read more about GMO's here.

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